Why All Guys Should Like Romantic Comedies

I don’t understand dudes who just flat out say they don’t like romantic comedies. It’s fine if you don’t like certain types of rom-coms. A lot of them are bad, but then again, a lot of movies in general are bad. Don’t feed me any bullshit about how they don’t depict how love works in real life. If you’re going to make that argument, then I better not catch you watching any Marvel movies or anything starring Tom Cruise, ever. If you’re dead set on only seeing “realistic” movies, then be fucking consistent about it. The point is, it’s stupid to eschew an entire genre of art simply because it seems “unmasculine.” We were supposed to have outgrown that around the same time we gave up cooties.

1. It Makes You More Relatable

Like it or not, our culture lives and thrives on pop culture references. Included within this topic are romantic comedies. “You’ve Got Mail” is still a seminal piece on how we understand online dating. If you’re out with a girl and she quotes “Pretty Woman,” then sure, she probably won’t be super upset if you haven’t seen it, but you’ll score some instant points with her if you have, and even more if you can finish the quote. This isn’t just in the context of talking to girls, either. If you need to give your buddy advice about a girl, what’s an easier metaphor than just drawing on common movie knowledge? If his girlfriend is being a little neurotic, just calmly reassure him through a Bridget Jones analogy that acting crazy is not the same thing as being crazy. Guy loses the girl of his dreams and doesn’t know where he went wrong? “(500) Days of Summer.” If the target of his affections turns out to be a lesbian? “Chasing Amy” for the win.

2. It’s More Subtle Storytelling

Here’s the thing about action movies–when shit starts to get boring, they can always just throw in a fight scene. Granted, this isn’t exactly a good thing as far as good filmmaking is concerned, but it’s certainly something we’ve accepted. Romantic comedies, however, have to live and die on three things: humor, characters, and relatability. If they strike out on any of those three, it’s going to cripple them. As a result, the best romantic comedies are those that have rich characters with real problems who are also uproariously funny. Say what you will about action movies, but you can’t claim that about most of them, can you?

3. You Should Study Anything Girls Like

What’s the best way to gain access to something? You study it. If you want a promotion, you dive into learning as much as you can about your company and industry. It’s no different with women. If they all seem to collectively like something, it’s at least worth figuring out. I’m not saying you have to start curating a Pinterest page in order to understand the opposite sex, but would it kill you to watch “Pride and Prejudice”? No. It’s delightful!

4. There Are A Lot Of Good Ones Out There

If you’re one of those dudes who says he hates rom-coms but quotes “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” once a day, you’re a hypocrite. The definition of romantic comedy doesn’t start and end with whether you happen to find something funny. That’s how you decide a movie itself is good or bad. To just throw an entire genre under the bus means a lot of things, and it makes you look stupid. It means you don’t like “When Harry Met Sally…,” “High Fidelity,” “It Happened One Night,” “Annie Hall,” or shit, for that matter, MOST Woody Allen films. I can understand someone not liking maybe one of those, but to say they’re all crap is basically just a red flag for personal idiocy.

5. It WILL Get You Laid

Sure, there are some girls who’d love to come over and watch “Commando” with you–and if you find one of those girls, hang onto her so tightly. At least in the initial stages of a budding relationship, there’s no simpler way to let a girl know of your intentions without being overly aggressive than inviting her over to watch a romantic comedy. And what’s more “manly” than putting your penis in someone? Literally nothing. It’s our number one biological instinct. So put your big boy pants on and watch a fucking Hugh Grant movie, dammit.

Email this to a friend

Randall J. Knox (known colloquially to his friends as "Knox") left his native Texas a few years ago, and moved to Los Angeles in his '03 Buick Regal named LeRoi to write movies with his jackass college buddies. His favorite things in life include bourbon that's above his pay grade, mix CDs, and Kevin Costner films. He isn't sure what "dad jeans" are exactly, but he knows he wants a pair.

It’s taking a lot of self-control not to send this to my ex. He flat out refused to watch rom-coms with me but yet expected me to sit through hours of Mystery Science Theater 3000. (NERD ALERT) I’m not saying it’s the only reason we broke up but did it contribute? Absofuckinglutely.

Generally a big fan, Knox but, I gotta disagree on 5 all the way. Maybe I’m the exception to this rule, but a rom-com will only get you laid because I’d rather be taken to pound town than watch that shit.